Caves, Conflict, and Confidence

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

1 With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.

3 When my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way!
In the path where I walk
    they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see:
    there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for my soul.

5 I cry to you, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!
7 Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me. – Psalm 142:1-7 ESV

This song of lament was written by David while hiding in the Judean wilderness in an attempt to escape the wrath of King Saul. At one time, David had been the hero of Israel, having slain Goliath, the Philistine champion, who had taunted the Israelite army and mocked their God. David's unexpected defeat of the giant from Gath not only elevated him in the eyes of the people but also got the attention of Saul. Before long, David was on Saul’s staff and serving as a commander in his army. However, over time, Saul grew disenchanted with David because he feared the young man's growing popularity would ultimately threaten his hold on the throne. The prophet Samuel had already warned Saul that his days as king were numbered. 

“…because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.

“The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you. And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!” – 1Samuel 15:23, 28-29 NLT

Despite Samuel’s dire warning, Saul was not immediately dethroned and replaced, but his suspicions of David increased rapidly. In time, his paranoia became so pronounced that he attempted to kill David with his own hands. 

Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. – 1 Samuel 19:10 ESV 

Confused by the king's schizophrenic behavior, David ran for his life and sought refuge among the enemies of Israel. For some unexplained reason, he showed up in the city of Gath, the hometown of Goliath the Philistine, but the reception he received was less than welcoming.

So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men. – 1 Samuel 22:1-2 NLT

From the royal courtroom to the dank confines of a cave, David's fall from grace had been great. Months earlier, David could hear people singing songs about his exploits against Goliath and his victories over the Philistines. Now, he was persona non grata, a social pariah living like a fugitive from justice and surrounded by a ragtag group of disgruntled debtors, rebels, and malcontents. 

It was while living in this less-than-ideal circumstance that David wrote this psalm. 

I cry out to the LORD;
    I plead for the LORD’s mercy.
I pour out my complaints before him
    and tell him all my troubles. – Psalm 142:1-2 NLT

As David sat in the dark recesses of his literal “hole-in-the-wall” home, he poured out his heart to Yahweh, bearing his soul to the only one who could make a difference. He no longer had access to his mentor Samuel. He had been forced to leave his wife and his best friend behind. Jonathan, the son of Saul, had tried to restore the broken relationship between David and his father, but had failed. Now, with no one to turn to except the LORD, David held nothing back. In another psalm, written during the same difficult time, David expressed his need for Yahweh's help.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by. – Psalm 57:1 NLT   

Despite the presence of his family and a committed cohort of 400 men, David felt abandoned and alone. He was confused and unable to comprehend how his world had fallen apart so quickly. As he looked back on his anointing by the prophet Samuel, he must have questioned its meaning. Nothing made sense. His fall from grace had been quick, unexpected, and, from David's perspective, undeserved. On one occasion, David questions his friend and confidant, Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?” (1 Samuel 20:1 NLT). 

However, despite his many questions, David remained steadfast in his belief in Yahweh's sovereignty and providence. 

When my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way! – Psalm 142:3 NLT

David was confident that his all-seeing, all-knowing God was well aware of his predicament and had a plan in place. No matter how dire the circumstances were, David knew Yahweh was in control and would protect and deliver him.

My heart is confident in you, O God;
    my heart is confident. – Psalm 57:7 NLT

However, David’s confidence in God did not prevent him from voicing his concerns. Fear is not always a sign of a lack of faith; it may simply be momentary doubt in the face of mounting pressure. David knew he could be honest with God and expressed his feelings in blunt language meant to convey his confusion and uncertainty.  

Wherever I go,
    my enemies have set traps for me.
I look for someone to come and help me,
    but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me;
    no one cares a bit what happens to me. – Psalm 142:3-4 NLT

My enemies have set a trap for me.
    I am weary from distress.
They have dug a deep pit in my path… – Psalm 57:6 NLT

David didn't attempt to sugarcoat his doubts with overly optimistic, glass-half-full rhetoric that sounded pious but lacked sincerity. He wasn’t trying to impress Yahweh with his faith; he was calling on Yahweh’s faithfulness. 

Then I pray to you, O LORD.
    I say, “You are my place of refuge.
    You are all I really want in life.” – Psalm 142:5 NLT

I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. – Psalm 57:2 NLT

When facing difficulty and uncertainty, David had learned to turn to Yahweh. The presence of problems caused David to seek the presence and power of God. Long before David took the life of Goliath, he knew he wasn't a giant slayer. He was just a shepherd boy who had learned to face life’s problems by leaning on the power of God. 

“I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” – 1 Samuel 17:34-37 NLT

Even in the darkness of the cave, David could see the light of God’s presence and hope in His deliverance. He was brutally honest about his conditions. 

I am surrounded by fierce lions
    who greedily devour human prey—
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
    and whose tongues cut like swords. – Psalm 57:4 NLT

But his God was greater than his biggest problem. 

For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. – Psalm 57:10 NLT

No matter how bad things got, David maintained his confidence in God's goodness, glory, and greatness. For David, problems were an opportunity to witness Yahweh's power on display. That doesn't mean he sought out trouble or welcomed it with open arms, but when it inevitably showed up, he expected Yahweh not to be far behind. He had learned to view difficulty as an opportunity to witness God's deliverance. The Goliaths of life were not a problem for God. Lion, bears, and giants were no match for the God of the universe. 

In another of his psalms, David expressed his confidence in God's constant presence, even in the darkest moments of life.

…even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you. – Psalm 139:12 NLT   

David could hide from Saul in one of the many caves dotting the Judean landscape, but he knew there was nothing hidden from the all-seeing eyes of Yahweh. 

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me. – Psalm 139:7-10 NLT

In the cave, Yahweh was there. In the face of doubt and fear, Yahweh was there. Entrapped, surrounded, hunted, and hounded, Yahweh was there. And David knew Yahweh cared. That is why he could confidently say, “Bring me out of prison so I can thank you” (Psalm 142:7 NLT).

Father, I want to trust You more. But I realize that trust is built in those moments where fear raises its ugly head and I doubt Your presence and power. It’s when I can’t see You that I am forced to trust You. It is when the difficulties of this world become overwhelming and insurmountable that I am forced to trust in Your strength and not my own. Help me to see the “caves” of my life as sanctuariies of Your presence; places where I can worship the light of Your goodness and greatness in the darkest moments of my life. I want to say with David, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life” (Psalm 142:5 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

To Be Known By God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! – Psalm 139:1-24 ESV

In this well-known psalm, David shares his amazement at Yahweh's attributes of omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. But this is not an academic paper dealing with deep doctrinal issues regarding God's nature; it is a song that praises Yahweh's all-pervasive presence in his life.

David is blown away by the knowledge that the all-powerful God of the universe has not only chosen to have a relationship with him, but knows everything about him. Yahweh is infinite, yet intimate. The God who is powerful enough to have spoken the universe into existence uses His unparalleled strength to intercede on David's behalf. And the God whose knowledge is limitless knows David better than he knows himself. 

David was genuinely awe-struck by God, yet strangely drawn to Him. This psalm reflects his well-balanced outlook on Yahweh's sheer immensity and surprising familiarity. David knew God, and more importantly, he knew he was known by God. That was enough to prompt David to compose this song of praise. 

He begins with a simple prayer of admission, stating his understanding that Yahweh was aware of everything about him. 

O LORD, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.– Psalm 139:1-3 NLT 

There were no secrets with God. David's life was an open book to the Almighty, with no areas off-limits or hidden from His all-seeing eyes. David understood how futile it was to try to keep God in the dark. He knew from past experience that a life of hiddenness was hopeless before the all-seeing eyes of Yahweh. When he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed so he could marry her, the prophet Nathan let David know that God had seen it all.

“The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.” – 2 Samuel 12:7-10 NLT 

David thought he had successfully covered his tracks, but while he may have fooled others, he had failed to hide his sin from the one who mattered most. However, this psalm suggests that David viewed this as a positive rather than a negative experience. His attempt to conceal his sin resulted in guilt and condemnation. He could try to ignore it, but Yahweh could not and would not. David's sin had to be exposed so his relationship with Yahweh could be restored. 

When David states, “You know everything I do” (Psalm 139:3 NLT), he isn't complaining or accusing Yahweh of being a busybody and know-it-all; he is expressing amazement at Yahweh's omniscience. What he says next can come across as comforting or concerning, depending on how you take it.

You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, LORD.– Psalm 139:4 NLT

God is not relegated to the role of an external observer with limited capacity to discern what is happening. He knows the heart, mind, and soul of a man. It’s as if He has X-ray vision and can peer inside the darkest recesses of the human psyche, ascertaining the hidden motives, thoughts, and intentions. Yahweh knew David so well that He could predict David's words before David had even formed them. This thought may disturb or frighten us because it sounds invasive and intrusive, but David found it comforting. 

Even if he wanted to hide something from God, he couldn't; it was impossible. Yahweh could see into his heart and mind. His thoughts and actions were completely exposed to God, and David believed that Yahweh was with him, even when life's circumstances took a turn for the worse.

Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.– Psalm 23:4 NLT

David knew that God was all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present. He knew that God was always there, and that God knew every single detail of his life, including what he was thinking and what he was going to say, even before the words came out of his mouth. David also understood that God had a plan for his life and that God was working that plan each and every day, regardless of what David's circumstances might have looked like. This prompted David to write, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” (Psalm 139:6 NLT

Yet, we can find this news about God both encouraging and scary. The fact that God knows everything about us can be either intimidating or comforting. David was prone to the latter. He understood that, along with God's divine attributes of omniscience (He knows everything), omnipotence (He is all-powerful), and omnipresence (He is everywhere at once), God was also all-loving, always faithful, and a God who keeps all His promises all the time. The fact that God knew all of David's thoughts didn't scare him; it provided him with peace.

David might not have fully comprehended the reality of God's all-knowing, all-powerful presence in his life, but he DID appreciate it. David knew that God had created him; he was a byproduct of God's imagination and creative capabilities.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. – Psalm 139:16 NLT

David’s life was not an accident or a matter of chance. This understanding of God's intimate relationship with him caused David to invite God to do something that appears risky. It sounds like an invitation that could yield some less-than-satisfactory results. However, keep in mind that David knew God loved him and had a plan for his life. He trusted God. There was nothing God did not know about David. So he asked God to do an extensive and all-inclusive examination of his life, starting on the inside.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life. – Psalm 1139:23-24 NLT

David was asking God to expose the secrets of his life. The patient was requesting the doctor to determine the actual state of his health. David knew how easy it was to assume that all was well. He could take a cursory look at his life and conclude from the evidence that he was in great shape. But he knew better.

He asked God to reveal to him things about his life that he was incapable of seeing or even knowing. As men, we often struggle to understand our own hearts, and we can't fully understand our motives. We are blinded by pride and self-righteousness, and we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are better than we are. So David goes to the one source that can see past the facade and look into the inner recesses of his heart. He asks Yahweh, the all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-loving God, to do an MRI of his life and reveal the results. David knew that God loved him and had a plan for his life, but he also recognized that he was a man prone to sin. His heart was not to be trusted. So he asked God to examine, test, and prove him. He wanted Yahweh to point out anything and everything that was an offense to Him.

Scary? Yes. Risky? Not really. David was simply learning what God already knew. David was tapping into God's limitless understanding and relying on God's unfailing love. He wanted to know what God knew because he wanted his life to please God. David's own heart was a mystery to him, so he asked the LORD to expose what he could not see. He wanted to know because he understood the danger of hidden sin.  

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
But I, the LORD, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.” – Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT

No one likes to go to the doctor because there is always the chance that they might receive bad news. But when it comes to physical health, ignorance is not bliss. The same principle applies to our spiritual well-being. David wasn’t content to assume that his relationship with Yahweh was healthy and whole, so he asked to be examined. It was Jesus who said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do” (Matthew 9:12 NLT). David knew he was sick because he recognized his own sinfulness. It wasn't a question of whether he had a spiritual illness in need of exposure; it was a matter of allowing the Great Physician to do what only He can do: Make the correct prognosis and prescribe the proper remedy.  

Yahweh told the Israelites, “I am the LORD who heals you” (Exodus 15:26 NLT), and David had found that promise to be true.

He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases. – Psalm 103:3 NLT

He heals the brokenhearted
    and bandages their wounds. – Psalm 147:3 NLT

David was counting on the fact that his all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God was also all-loving and ready to restore him to spiritual health. All he needed to do is ask. 

Father, You love me. And what's amazing is that You love me even though You know everything there is to know about me. There is nothing I can hide from You. I can't fool you with my pious activities or acts of religious pretense. I can't fake faith in front of You. You know me just as I am and yet You love me anyway. Give me the heart of David, that I might ask You to search me, know my heart, test me, know the cause of all my anxious thoughts, and point out everything in my life that offends You. The sooner I see the truth about myself, the sooner I can confess my sins and get back on Your path for my life. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Light In the Darkness

1 “I loathe my life;
I will give free utterance to my complaint;
    I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me;
    let me know why you contend against me.
3 Does it seem good to you to oppress,
    to despise the work of your hands
    and favor the designs of the wicked?
4 Have you eyes of flesh?
    Do you see as man sees?
5 Are your days as the days of man,
    or your years as a man’s years,
6 that you seek out my iniquity
    and search for my sin,
7 although you know that I am not guilty,
    and there is none to deliver out of your hand?
8 Your hands fashioned and made me,
    and now you have destroyed me altogether.
9 Remember that you have made me like clay;
    and will you return me to the dust?
10 Did you not pour me out like milk
    and curdle me like cheese?
11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
    and knit me together with bones and sinews.
12 You have granted me life and steadfast love,
    and your care has preserved my spirit.
13 Yet these things you hid in your heart;
    I know that this was your purpose.
14 If I sin, you watch me
    and do not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am guilty, woe to me!
    If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
    and look on my affliction.
16 And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion
    and again work wonders against me.
17 You renew your witnesses against me
    and increase your vexation toward me;
    you bring fresh troops against me.

18 “Why did you bring me out from the womb?
    Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
19 and were as though I had not been,
    carried from the womb to the grave.
20 Are not my days few?
    Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
21 before I go—and I shall not return—
    to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
22 the land of gloom like thick darkness,
    like deep shadow without any order,
    where light is as thick darkness.” – Job 10:1-22 ESV

Job continues his diatribe against God, refusing to hold back his resentment for the way the Almighty has treated him. From his perspective, he has nothing to fear from being brutally honest with God. His life can’t get much worse and if God has determined him to be guilty, there is little he can do about it. So, Job pulls out all the stops and levels a barrage of complaints against the One whom he has determined to be responsible for his unfortunate and undeserved circumstances.

Embittered by his unbearable suffering and loss, Job lashes out at God and demands that He explain Himself.

“Don’t simply condemn me—
    tell me the charge you are bringing against me.
What do you gain by oppressing me?” – Job 10:2-3 NLT

Job was convinced that God was responsible for his circumstances but wanted to know what he had done to deserve such treatment. He felt that God owed him an explanation for all that had transpired and was not going to shut up until God spoke up.

In his pain and confusion, Job couldn’t resist the temptation to accuse God of injustice. As a child of God, he felt that he was being treated unfairly. After all, he could look around and see the ungodly getting away with all kinds of wickedness as if God had turned a blind eye. Yet, he seemed to believe that his status as a son of God was supposed to provide him with some kind of immunity from suffering and pain.

The recent events in Job’s life had been totally unexpected. He had no way of understanding the severity of the losses he had endured. None of it fit into the paradigm he held of God and his understanding of human existence. As a follower of Yahweh, Job believed himself to be on the winning side. He understood himself to be the work of God’s own hands and destined for blessings in this life – as long as he remained faithful. His theology led him to believe that God owed him the good life for having led a godly life, and his entire focus was fixated on the time between the womb and the tomb.

Job knew that he had a birth date and fully expected that he had a rapidly approaching death date. But he had a difficult time conceiving of anything beyond that point. In all his rantings and ravings, Job displays no concept of an afterlife. His words reveal a belief that everything that happens to a man must take place between the two bookends of birth and death. There is nothing before or after.

“I have only a few days left, so leave me alone,
    that I may have a moment of comfort
before I leave—never to return—
    for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
It is a land as dark as midnight,
    a land of gloom and confusion,
    where even the light is dark as midnight.’”  – Job 10:20-22 NLT

And that gloomy perspective led Job to regret that he was ever born. His ontology was based on a faulty understanding of how the world works. Because he lived in a temporal state, he couldn’t fathom a concept like eternity. He saw nothing existing beyond the grave, simply describing it as a land of darkness, gloom, and doom. So, if the rest of his earthly life was going to be filled with nothing but trouble, he decided that death would be better than living. Non-existence would be preferable to the existential crisis in which he found himself.

Job couldn’t help but state the obvious: God was responsible for his very existence, and it looked like God was intent on bringing his life to an untimely and ignominious end. 

“You formed me with your hands; you made me,
    yet now you completely destroy me.
9 Remember that you made me from dust—
    will you turn me back to dust so soon?” – Job 10:8-9 NLT

Once again, Job displays a dramatically different understanding of God than that of David. Both men understood the reality of suffering and wrestled with God’s involvement in it. But David viewed his birth as a blessing and not a curse.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed. – Psalm 139:13-16 NLT

David saw the hand of God in every aspect of his life, including those less-than-pleasant moments when God’s love seemed distant and difficult to comprehend. David was surrounded by wicked people who were out to take his life. He was suffering abuse and undergoing difficult circumstances, but he was able to say, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!” (Psalm 139:18-19 NLT).

What a contrast to the woe-is-me mentality of Job. This man, when faced with difficult life circumstances, was willing to admit that God had given him life but was quick to accuse God of having it out for him.

“You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
    My life was preserved by your care.

“Yet your real motive—
    your true intent—
was to watch me, and if I sinned,
    you would not forgive my guilt.” – Job 10:12-14 NLT

Sadly, Job’s view of God was anything but optimistic. Unlike David, he didn’t perceive God as having precious thoughts about him. Rather than counting God’s many blessings, Job was busy taking inventory of all his losses – and he was far from happy with the results.

“…I am filled with shame and misery.
And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion
    and display your awesome power against me.
Again and again you witness against me.
    You pour out your growing anger on me
    and bring fresh armies against me.” – Job 10:15-17 NLT

Job had come to fear rather than revere God. He viewed God as his enemy, not his advocate. When Job looked at the future, he saw nothing but gloom. He felt completely abandoned by God and destined to a dark and dismal fate. But when faced with the inevitable difficulties of life, David reached a far different conclusion

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
    but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you. – Psalm 139:7-12 NLT

As the apostle John wrote, “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all” (1 John 1:5 NLT). He is not the author of light, but the eliminator of it. His light shines in the darkness. David understood that darkness was an inevitable part of living in a fallen world. He was well aware of the fact that life would have its highs and lows. But he was fully confident in God’s presence and providential care. His God was with him in the good times and the bad times. David refused to allow his circumstances to determine his concept of God. But Job still had much to learn about life and the love of God.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Risky Request.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. – Psalm 139:23-24 ESV Psalm 139

David closes out his prayer with a powerful petition. It is an apt summation of all that he has prayed up to this point. Fully aware that God knows everything about him and that there is nothing he can hide from God, David requests that God reveal what's going on in the inside of his own heart. This simply prayer reveals so much of what David knew about God, but ultimately, it lets us know that David knew God loved him. David trusted God. He was asking God to reveal things in his life to which he was either blind or simply oblivious. Rather than fear God's omniscience, David wanted to take advantage of it. He wanted the all-knowing, ever-present God to search inside the recesses of his heart and “point out anything in me that offends you.” That's a risky proposition. Not because God is going to discover something He didn't already know. That's been David's point all along. God already knows. But it's risky, because it means that God is going to reveal to David what he doesn't know, and then David is going to be faced with the choice of agreeing with it and confessing it, or disagreeing with it and denying it. The former results in God's forgiveness. The latter will result in His discipline.

But this prayer of David's should be that of every individual who calls Christ his or her Savior. Our relationship with Jesus Christ has provided us with an intimate relationship with God the Father. We are able to come into His presence and enjoy His love, grace and forgiveness. He has created us, redeemed us, and knows everything about us. He loves us deeply and sent His Son not only to die for us, but to make it possible for us to be progressively transformed into His image. To do that, He is constantly exposing the sin in our life so that we might confess it and enjoy His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV). The truth is, we are incapable of seeing so much of the darkness that lies within our own hearts. Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV). The answer is God. He knows our hearts and He can reveal what is hidden from our view. God alone can reveal what is behind our “anxious thoughts.” The Hebrew word David uses is sar`aph and it refers to “disquieting thoughts.” God can tell us why we're so anxious and worried. He can tell us what is driving our fear. We may think it is a past-due bill, but God may show us that it really our lack of trust in His provision. We may think our anxiety is due to a damaged relationship, but God may reveal that it is really a fear of man or our own lack of love. God has the innate ability to get to the root issue. And so often, it is the result of sin. There was a time in David's life when he was having trouble sleeping. He could have written it off to his high-pressure job as king of Israel. But God reveals that it was the result of his affair with Bathsheba. David had internalized and rationalized his sin. But God saw it all and made sure David saw it as He did. That's where the risk comes in. But David knew that it was better to have his sins exposed by God than to try and live with them hidden. He knew he could fool others, but he could never fool God. He knows everything. And God was the key to David's spiritual transformation. He needed God to help him live righteously. He was a man after God's own heart, but he desperately needed God to constantly renew his heart. Refusing to let God reveal what is going on inside our hearts is like going to the doctor and refusing to let him tell us what is wrong with us. Not knowing will not make us better. Ignorance is not bliss. Unrevealed sin, like unseen cancer, does not mean it does not exist. It is there, wreaking havoc on our spiritual lives and doing damage to all those around us. We should want to know what God knows. When God had revealed to David the depth of the sin he had committed with Bathsheba, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV). God had convicted him. Now David wanted God to cleanse him. He knew that God alone was capable of cleaning up the mess he had made with his life. God doesn't just give us the prognosis, He provides the cure. He doesn't just point out our sin, He makes possible the prescription for renewed spiritual health and vitality.

We can't confess what we don't know. That's why we need God. We tend to see only the symptoms of our sin. God sees the source. He knows the root cause of all our thoughts, words and actions. We are blind to our pride, envy, idolatry, lust and more. But God sees it all. So David wanted the all-knowing God, who made Him and knew everything about him, to shine His divine flashlight into the recesses of his heart and point out anything and everything that offended Him. That's a risky, yet rewarding prayer to pray, because it will show us things we don't want to see, but it will also allow God to make us who He desires us to be.

A Love-Hate Relationship.

O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers!  They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. – Psalm 139:19-22 ESV

Psalm 139

Having opened his prayer by expressing his awe and wonder at God's involvement in his life, David suddenly switches direction. Knowing that God created him, cares for him, knows everything about him, and sees him when he sits down or stands up, David takes his latest problem to the Lord. He opens up with God about his need. Evidently, David was under tremendous pressure from those whom he considered wicked and described as murderers. Not only were these people enemies of David, they were enemies of God and misused His name. David expressed his loyalty to God. Because these people hated God, he hated them. These are strong words and seem to stand in such stark contrast to the opening verses of David's prayer. The word “hate” seems so strong, especially for those of us who have grown up on a steady diet of preaching and teaching that focuses on the love of God. But David seemed to believe that God Himself hated these people and he was obligated to hate them as well. It is important to note that David's hatred for them was based on their opposition to God. Yes, he was evidently under attack from them as well, but it would appear that it was because of his position as God's appointed king of Israel. David was constantly surrounded by those who hated him because they hated God. And his hatred for them was based on their hatred for God. These people stood against the things of God and the people of God. They were enemies of God.

David was clearly under the impression that God hated evil and those who commit evil acts. “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers” (Psalm 5:5 ESV). “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5 ESV). David's son, Solomon, included this sentiment in his collection of proverbs: “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV). It makes us uncomfortable when we read that “God hates”. But we tend to interpret the word “hate” using our own sinful definition. Our hate is mired by sin. It is selfish and self-centered. It is unholy and unrighteous. But God's hatred is always righteous. His nature opposes all that stands opposed to Him. And yet, we know that God loves. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). “…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV). God hates, but God loves. God must stand opposed to everything that opposes Himself. But He must also love. Only He can do both righteously and justly. We seem capable of doing one or the other, but not both. God's wrath stands against all those who have sinned and rebelled against His holy will. They are condemned and their sin is punishable by death. But God expressed His love for them by sending His Son to die for them. God knew that their rebellion could only be solved by the sacrifice of His own Son. God's wrath was satisfied by His own love.

When we read of David's hatred for his enemies, which he expresses throughout the Psalms, it sounds so harsh. And because David was a man, his hatred was sometimes far too one-dimensional. He lacked the ability to love those he hated. He brought a human perspective to the equation that limited his ability to express love for those who hated God. He simply wanted to see them eliminated. And while God's holiness and righteousness requires Him to deal harshly with sin and all sinners, His love provided a way to redeem and restore those who were under His wrath. David could only see the wrath. He could only comprehend elimination, but not restoration.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus was preparing to send out the twelve disciples on their own, He warned them, “you will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22 ESV). Yet He was sending them out with His message of repentance and restoration. They were going to be hated, but He was expecting them to heal the sick, bring release to the captive, share the news of His coming and love those who hated them. We must stand opposed to all that stands opposed to God. We must hate what He hates. But we must always remember that God is ultimately about restoration. We live in a world that stand diametrically opposed to God and all that He stands for. We are enemies of this world. And yet, we are to show the love of God by sharing the message of Jesus Christ with them. It's a love-hate relationship that only the Holy Spirit can help us hold in balance. We cannot afford to love this world or the things of this world. We cannot construe love of sinners to mean acceptance of their sin. We cannot tolerate what God hates. But we must always remember that the solution to sin and the hope for sinners lies in the love of God as expressed through the death of His Son. I can stand against those who hate God and yet lovingly share with them God's solution to their problem. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48 ESV).

David hated the enemies of God. He hated those who stood opposed to God. In his mind as a warrior-king, he could only see one solution: their complete annihilation and elimination. But God had a better plan. He was going to bring His Son, through the blood line of David himself, and provide a means by which His love could be displayed and His wrath against all sin satisfied. We live on this side of the resurrection. We know that God's wrath was real. It resulted in His own Son's death. But we also know that God's love is real, because it provided us with forgiveness from sin and release from our condemnation. So while I may be justified in hating what God hates, I must also be willing to love as I have been loved.

Too Heavy Too Handle.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. – Psalm 139:17-18 ESV Psalm 139.

David is blown away with God. The very fact that God created him and knows everything about him was just too much for him. He uses a Hebrew word, yaqar to describe his feelings. It can mean to “be valuable, be precious, be costly”. But it can also be used metaphorically to mean “be heavy” or “hard to understand”. It is the same word used in the book of Daniel when the king asked his magicians to tell him his dream and his meaning. Their response was, “The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh” (Daniel 2:11 ESV). Given the context, it would seem that David is saying that God's thoughts regarding him are too heavy or difficult for him to comprehend. Remember, David has been speaking of God's creation of him, how He knew David before he was even formed in the womb. God already knew the day of his birth and the length of his life – long before his conception. God was aware of David's thoughts – even before they came out of his mouth as words. All of this was too much for David to get his head around. He said, “How vast is the sum of them!” He could have gone on forever, recounting even more amazing facts regarding God and His intimate involvement in his life.

David seems to say that when he goes to bed, he falls asleep thinking about about it and when he wakes up, there's still more. The word translated, “I am still with you” is `owd  and it means “a going round, continuance” (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). It can simply mean “more”. In other words, David says he wakes up in the morning and there is even more to be amazed about regarding God's thoughts for him. It reminds me of another psalm of David where he writes, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 ESV). Even Job, in his suffering, said to God, “What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18 ESV). The very idea that God takes notice of us, created us, cares for us, never takes His eyes off of us, and loves us, should astound us. To think that the God of the universe gives me a second thought at all should blow me away as it did David. As David has already acknowledged, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar” (Psalm 139:2 ESV). God is not some distant, disconnected deity who has no knowledge about or interest in His creation. He cares. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. He knows our weaknesses. He fully understands our inability to live up to His righteous standards. He is fully aware that we are incapable of not sinning. So He provided a way for us to be made right with Him that is not based on our own human effort, but on the death of His own Son. God knows us. And in spite of that, He still loves us. He knows our thoughts, even when we think we have kept them hidden. And yet, He is still willing to forgive us of those thoughts, if we will simply confess them to Him. He sees everything we do – the good, the bad, the ugly – and is still willing to show us mercy and extend to us His grace. That truly is amazing.

To think that God even gives me a second thought should leave me astounded. How easy it is for me to live my life thinking that all I say, think and do is done is obscurity. I am just one among billions. I am virtually unknown and little more than a blip on the radar screen of life. I can easily conclude that my contribution to life is inconsequential and of little value. But God, the one who created me, knows me, cares for me, watches over me, thinks about me, loves me enough to discipline me, and gave His Son to die for me. That's heavy. That's mind-boggling. But what a great reminder from the pen of David. I need to constantly consider the fact that I am known and loved by God. I must never forget that He made me – just as I am. As David said, He “formed my inward parts” and “knitted me together in my mother's womb”. He made me for a reason. He saved me, not because of anything I had done to deserve it, but simply because He loved me. He is constantly transforming me into the likeness of His Son. He never takes His eyes off of me. He holds me in His hands. He protects me, provides for me, guides me and disciplines me. And He always knows what is best for me. Hard to believe? No doubt about it. But my disbelief won't do anything but rob me of the joy of knowing just how much my God loves me. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).

Made and Known By God.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:13-16 ESV

Psalm 139

God knows you. He knows everything about you. What an incredible thought. For David, it was the explanation behind everything he had already said in his prayer. He used the word, “for” as a transition, and for clarification. The reason God was inescapable, had David surrounded, and heard, saw and intervened in the affairs on his life, was because God was His creator. He had made David, so God knew everything about him. David expressed amazement and wonder at the fact that he had been made by God. He acknowledges to God, “you formed my inward parts.” The Hebrew word David used is kilyah and it literally means “kidneys.” But to the Hebrew mind it also referred to the seat of the emotions and affections. It was that inner part of man that controlled the emotions (heart) and moral character (mind). God had made each and every part of David, from the physical to the spiritual, the mental to the emotional. He had “knit” or “woven” David in his mother's womb. In other words, God had hand-crafted David. David's conclusion? “…I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Was David bragging about his own beauty and significance? Most likely not. He was expressing awe at the incredible realization that God had wonderfully made Him. His existence was not mere happenstance, but an act of God.

When David's bones were being formed in the womb, God was there. He oversaw the entire birth process from conception to David's first breath outside the womb. Even before he was born, David's name was written in God's book of the living. God already knew the length of his days and the activities that would mark his life. All of this speaks to the amazing sovereignty and power of God. Jesus even told us, “even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7 ESV). For some, that number may be getting smaller, but God never loses count. He knows us. He made us. And nothing about us was a mistake. And as difficult as that may by for us to understand or appreciate sometimes, we must recognize that God is in control of all things at all times. If He is not, then He is not God. Yes, there are babies born with birth defects and grave illnesses that result in death even at the moment of birth. These diseases are not the creation of God. They are the result of sin infiltrating God's perfect creation and bringing with it the penalty of death, disease and disorder. We can see God's creation marred by the affects of sin in so many ways. It is all around us. So much of what we view in this life is an anomaly, a deviation from what God intended. But that does not alter the fact that God's creative process is amazing and awe-inspiring. Even in a world marred by sin, we see the amazing handiwork of God all around us.

For David, the knowledge of God's role in his life led to worship. He couldn't help but stand amazed at God's intimate involvement in his life. The realization that we have been hand-crafted by God should inspire awe and amazement, but also result in reverence, gratitude and worship. But too often, we express our discontent and dissatisfaction to God for how He made us. We question His wisdom and wonder about His love for us because we don't like how things have turned out for us. The prophet Isaiah has some strong words for those who think that way.“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’” (Isaiah 45:9 NLT). Again, Isaiah puts his thoughts quite bluntly. “How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, ‘He didn't make me’? Does a jar ever say, ‘The potter who made me is stupid’?” (Isaiah 29:16 NLT). We may not like the way we look. We may not care for our circumstances in life. We may not agree with God's crafting of our form or how the final product turned out. But David would have us focus on the Creator, not the creature. He would encourage us to keep our attention on the Producer, not the final product. God is not done yet. For those of us in Christ, He is still crafting us. He is still molding and making us. Paul reminds us,  “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV). God's creative process in our lives is not yet complete. But that day is coming. For now, sin has marred His creation. But God will one day make all things right. He will make all things new. And any mars, defects and imperfections we suffer with now will be gone. God made us. He knows us. And He is not yet done with us.

O Lord, You Know.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. – Psalm 139:1-3 ESV Psalm 139

This prayer of David is an interesting and informative one. In it, he focuses the majority of his attention on God Himself. I have a hard time remembering the last time (possibly only) that I did that. My prayers tend to be about me. My needs, my wants, my desires, my agenda, my suggested solutions to God for my problems. Rarely do I take the time in my prayers to focus all my attention on Him. But when I read a prayer like this one, I am reminded that my understanding of God will dictate so much of what I think about the world. My view of God will alter my view of life and my circumstances. And it will radically change the way I pray. David starts out his prayer with an acknowledgement that God (Jehovah, the Existing One) has already thoroughly searched him and knew him well. Nothing in David's life was news to God. He knew David from the inside-out. In fact, David admitted the somewhat disconcerting, bu also comforting fact that God knew when David sat down and when he stood up. He knew all of his thoughts, even from a distance. The phrase, “from afar” probably refers to time, not space. It most likely refers to David's motives. So God knows what we are going to do before we even do it, just when we're thinking about doing it. That should change the way we look at God and sin. He really is omniscient – all knowing. David was fully aware that God was watching his every step, even when he traveled or when he was rest at home. And God was well acquainted with ALL his ways. For David, there was no thought of trying to pull one over on God. He knew he couldn't sneak anything past a God who kept him constantly in His sights. God knew his most intimate thoughts before they ever became action. He watched David every moment of every day, and He knew his most inner thoughts. Now that reality could produce in us either fear and dread, or it could result in comfort and a sense of God's love and sovereign watchfulness over our lives. David doesn't seem to be recounting all this about God as a complaint. He was quite content to have a God who was that powerful, yet intimately involved in his life. The God of the universe knew him and was watching over him. What an amazing thought. But that amazing thought escapes most of us who claim to be followers of Christ and sons and daughters of God. We somehow think that God doesn't see us, fails to watch over us, is oblivious to what is happening to us, and far too busy to give much thought to us. But David would argue against that strongly. He would tell us that our God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (present in all places at all times). But David was not alone in this regard. Jeremiah the prophet recorded these words directly from God. “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24 ESV). Even Jesus spoke of God's ability to see the unseen. “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6 ESV). God sees all. He knows all. He is never surprised or caught off guard. I like to say that God is never up in heaven, wringing His hands in worry, wondering how something happened to one of His children without His knowledge. He is never shocked by our actions or surprised by our words. He knew what we were going to say or do beforehand. He knows the thoughts of our hearts and the expression those thoughts will take. So our prayer lives should be far less about informing God of our faults, failings, and sins. He already knows. Confession is not us telling God something He doesn't already know. It is us agreeing with God that what He knows about us is true. If anyone has been living in in denial or in a state of ignorance, it has been us. God uses His Word and His Spirit to convict us of sin. He reveals our heart to us. Then He invites us to confess that sin and allow Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Knowing that God knows – everything – should come as a relief, not some form of bad news. There is nothing we can hide. While we can spend years attempting to hide our sin from others, we can come to God openly and honestly, because we are not going to tell Him anything He doesn't already know. He is fully aware that we have a sin problem. We are the ones who tend to live in a state of denial. God isn't appalled by our sin as much as He is by our lack of confession and repentance. He convicts and we justify our actions. He points out our sin and we make excuses or pass blame. In another one of his prayers, David said, “You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17 NLT). The question isn't whether God knows our sin. It's whether we do. And if we do, are we willing to agree with God about it and admit it to Him? At the close of this same prayer, David prays, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). God knows things about us that we don't know. We need to tap into His knowledge and allow Him to reveal secret sins, hidden motives, and anything that might keep us from living the life He has called us to. God knows and He stands ready to forgive. What a relief.

God Sees.

Proverbs 5

"For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes." – Proverbs 5:21 NLT

Have you ever stopped to think just how silly it is to attempt to try and and hide anything from God? After all, He is all-knowing and is not limited by space and time. He is everywhere at once and does not have to deal with the limitations of past, present and future as we do. He sees everything equally well, regardless of whether it has already happened or has yet to take place. David put it this way in Psalm 139:

O Lord, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, Lord.

You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

He knows it all, including what I am going to say before I even say it. God sees everything I do. He examines every path I take. He literally weighs out our actions, putting them in a scale and determining their value or worth. And He measures them against His own righteous standard, not the flawed and fickle standards of this world. The context for this verse is a serious warning from a father to his son regarding the dangers of sexual immorality and promiscuity. He is trying to get his son to realize the deadly ramifications of being unfaithful to his wife and allowing himself to fall for the temptations of adultery. He gives him all the dire outcomes, but then wraps it up by reminding his son that God sees ALL our actions, and He measures and examines them against His own righteous requirements. We can't hide what we do from God. We may fool our spouses and our friends, but God sees all and knows all. And He knows exactly what is going on in our hearts even if we choose not to act out our adulterous desires. He knows every time we lust and every time an immoral thought goes through our brain. That realization should sober us and cause us to seriously consider our ways.

The fact that God sees all and knows all should only scare us if we are guilty of doing things of which He might disapprove. The existence of traffic cameras should not strike fear into the hearts of those who are obeying the traffic signs. The presence of a policeman on the side of the road should not make our palms sweat and our hearts race unless we happen to be breaking the speed limit. If we are living in obedience to God's Word and in reliance upon His Spirit, His all-seeing eye should bring us comfort, not fear. We should rejoice in the fact that God is always looking out for us and never takes His eyes off us. And if He does happen to see us do something contrary to His will, He makes it known to us so that we can confess it and receive His forgiveness. We live under His watchful eyes at all times. There is no time when He is unaware of us or cannot see us. That realization should bring us peace and cause us to consider our ways more seriously. "For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes."

Father, thank You for never taking your eyes off of me. What a comfort to know You are always there and you are always fully aware. Never let me forget that I am living under your loving, watchful eye at all times. May that realization influence my behavior and my thoughts. Amen